Media release on behalf of Nelson Police.At 9pm last night Nelson Police, Ambulance and Fire Service Staff were called to a Mount Street address after a reported explosion in a garage.On arrival of Fire Service and Ambulance they treated a 36 year old Nelson man who had been caught in the explosion for serious burns, before he was transported to Nelson Hospital. He is currently in a stable condition in ICU.The area was cordoned off for a period until a specialist Police investigator from Motueka cleared the scene from initial fears the explosion was caused by a methamphetamine lab. No dangerous chemicals were found at the scene and residents in the area have nothing to be concerned about. It is standard practice to treat these types of events with caution until it can be proved the environment is not hazardous.The cause has been established as an LPG gas explosion. Evidence suggests that the man was using the LPG cooker for illegal drug consumption when a pool of gas at floor level has ignited. The force of this explosion has blown the door off the garage and the resulting fire ball caused extensive burns to the victim. He is quite simply lucky to be alive.The man is yet to be interviewed by Police and it will be some time before any consideration of charges will be made.